Many industries and disciplines require that testing be done of liquid and semi-liquid substances. For example, waters in lakes or streams may be tested, toxic substances in land fills or dumps may be tested, and oil, gas or mud samples in the fuels industry may require testing. The uses of sampling devices in various industries are innumerable, and these present only a few examples. Sampling apparatuses have been designed and adapted for many such uses. The invention herein presents a portable and easily operated apparatus for sampling many types of liquid and semi-liquid materials, including toxic wastes. It can be used at any depth and has the significant advantage of being stable at any instance of use; that is, unlike other sampling apparatuses which require a violent jerk to open the sampling container, the invention herein may be easily opened with a simple hand movement thereby assuring stability to the sampling procedure.